Back in 2006 I decided to cook all 1293 recipes in "The Gourmet Cookbook." It took a few years, but I made them all! Now I have moved on to the over 1100 recipes in "Gourmet Today." I anticipate several more years of kitchen fun!

This recipe came from the list generated by the random number generator. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from this recipe. Most hummus recipes taste the same, and approximately the same as the high-end stuff from the store. This one surprised me though. The many adornments really added to and improved the hummus. The hummus itself was smooth, flavorful, and light. Philippe described it as "accessible." Toasted pine nuts are invariably delicious, and their nuttiness complemented the hummus well. The parsley oil added both flavor and color to a dish that can be visually not-so-appealing. Everyone in the crowd had a positive reaction to this dish. I would recommend it.

I'm back from Bloomington. I came down with some strain of flu a couple days ago, so traveling back yesterday was completely miserable. But now I am at home, sitting in sweatpants and a big sweatshirt, feeling much better than I have been.

Aside from the flu, the end of my trip went well. I got the apartment I wanted (yay!). I am really excited about it. It is beautiful, with a huge kitchen and plenty of space for guests (hint, hint!). It is also above a storefront in downtown Bloomington, which is exactly where I wanted to live. I'm very happy.My trip to the math department also went well. I gave a talk on Monday. I wasn't feeling great, but I think it went ok. Most importantly, I had a really good time meeting the people there. Everyone was tremendously welcoming and friendly. The picture on the right is one I took outside the math department. As you can see, IU is beautiful! It doesn't look too much like MIT, does it?!?